The Adventures of Lil' Jack!
by MegamanV2
Summary: Ever wonder what happened to clone Jack? Well, this picks up after Jack drops off his 15 year old clone "Lil' Jack" at Mountain Springs High School. Rated T just incase it gets violent, not for any other reason. Please be generous with reviews. Critique.
1. Chapter 1 Meet the Family

**_Chapter 1_**

**_Meet the Family_**

Jack O'Neill walked down the long corridor to the principal's office, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway, his black sneakers squeaking. He muttered under his breath, "For cryin' out loud!"

Jack knocked on the door of the office and heard the voice inside say, "Enter."

The principal, Eugene Nelson, had sorrowful eyes as he asked, "Why? Why did you have to break the rules again when you know you can't afford the consequences? Jack, because you keep breaking the rules, this time by getting into another fight, I have no choice… but to expel you."

"But"-

"Collect your things and be on your way."

With downcast eyes Jack went to do what he was told. He felt like a kid again- he _was_ a kid again thanks to the mischievous Asgard Loki.

Jack had been adopted by Maria Burney and now, therefore, had a brother, Jeff, the same age as he was physically. Mentally, though, Jack was much older, because he still retained the memories of the older, non-clone, Colonel Jack O'Neill.

He gathered his belongings and walked out of the front doors of Mountain Springs High School. He said goodbye to his new school and walked down the cool gray concrete sidewalk toward his new neighborhood. He passed some yellow-leafed and red-leafed trees and some deep green bushes with purple flowers sprouting out at random on his way and noticed there was a lot of traffic today.

When he got to his neighborhood, he found his house in the small cluster of houses and used his key to get inside. He tried to slip, unnoticed, past his new mother, whom he still thought of as Maria, but their cat, Jitter Bug, alerted her to his presence.

"Jack," said Mrs. Burney, "is that you?" She saw it was and anxiously asked, "What are you doing home so early?"

Jack had never been much of a liar, though, he did lie on occasion. He just liked being sarcastic. He decided to tell her the truth, even though he knew he would get in trouble.

She silently stood there and listened while he talked, not speaking until he had uttered the last word. Then, finally, she said, "Jack, what am I going to do with you?"

As she stood there with a look of contemplation on her face, the phone rang. Mrs. Burney picked it up, not saying anything other than an occasional "yes" or "mm-hmm" and one overly enthusiastic, "of course!" Finally, she put the phone back on its wall cradle and looked at Jack.

"That was Mr. Ulmund," she said, "He's having a special party tonight at his house next door to celebrate what would have been his 7th anniversary. He asked if I would pick up the cake for him and I said I'd be happy to. You, however, are grounded for…," she stood there thinking, "I'll decide how long when I get back, but you're not going to the party tonight."

Jack stared at her with a blank look on his face then asked, "There's going to be cake?"

Ignoring his question, she said, "The party begins at seven o'clock and I'm going straight there from the bakery to help him set up." Jack glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It said 2:04 pm. "Jeff is supposed to be home around four o'clock." Mrs. Burney continued, "Tell him about the party, _he's_ allowed to come."

With that, she went out the door, got in her black Hyundai Santa Fe, and sped off to accomplish her errand. As she was pulling out, Jack got a good look at the license plate which said, TU1YYO.

Jack went to the pantry and got some cat food. He took Jitter Bug's empty food dish and filled it. Next, he filled the empty milk bowl with milk, then he put them both back. He put away the cat food and went to the couch. He curled up into a comfortable position and closed his eyes. Two minutes later, he was sawing logs…

**********

Jack awoke and heard keys in the front door and the creaking of it opening. He glanced at a nearby clock, this one analog, which said 4:07. Jeff walked into the room and asked where Mrs. Burney was. Jack explained about the party and the cake and everything. "She's probably already at Mr. Ulmund's house."

Jon Ulmund was their next door neighbor, in his early thirties, with blonde hair. Jeff, on the other hand was 15 and the same height as Jack. Same dark brown hair color too. Many people mistook Jack and Jeff for twins.

The phone rang again and Jeff went to answer it.

Jack flipped on the television in search of something to watch. After cycling through a series of cartoons, dramas, comedies and other genres he wasn't interested in, he finally landed on the news.

Dread gripped Jack. The TV showed a picture of a black, Hyundai Santa Fe. Actually, the TV showed the _remains _of a black, Hyundai Santa Fe. The picture zoomed in and Jack saw the license plate. It had a bunch of holes in it so he could only see some of the characters.

The first character was partly obscured, but he could tell it was a T. The second and third characters were simply not there. The remaining characters were YYO.

Jeff walked in and said, "That was Mr. Ulmund. He said mom hasn't gotten there yet and asked where she was, I told him I'd get back to him-" Jeff stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed the TV. A look of horror crossed his face.

Mrs. Burney's car was in ruins. Mrs. Burney… was dead.


	2. Chapter 2 A Car Bomb or

**_Chapter 2_**

**_A Car Bomb or…_**

Jack tried to console Jeff, but Jeff shook him off. Jack knew he should probably tell Mr. Ulmund, but now didn't seem like the right time.

While Jeff sobbed, he threw back his shoulders and yelled, "Why did this happen? Who would do something like this? Whoever you are, I'm going to make you pay!"

Jack didn't doubt that he'd try, but he wouldn't succeed… at least, not without Jack's help.

**********

Jack dialed Don's Hot 'n Fresh bakery, the bakery where Mrs. Burney was supposed to pick up the anniversary cake.

"Hello?" a distraught voice said on the other end of the phone. This is Don's Hot 'n Fresh bakery, this is Ronald speaking."

"Yeah, hi," Jack said, "I'm gathering Intel – err – information about the bombing earlier this afternoon. What can you tell me about what happened?"

"Not much I'm afraid. I just got here for my shift a few minutes ago."

"Did you sell an anniversary cake earlier?"

"Hold on, let me check… yep, we sold three."

"Can you tell me who you sold them to?"

"Sorry," said the voice, sounding even more distraught, "we're not supposed to give out that information."

"What if I told you I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill with the United States Air Force?"

"I wouldn't believe you. You don't sound more than fifteen."

Jack was getting very annoyed. "May I speak with your superior?"

"Will you hold a moment please, sir?"

After a minute or two, a new voice said, "This is Don, owner and manager of this bakery."

"Hi, do you have any anniversary cakes on hold?"

"… No sir, we sold the last one that was on hold around… two-thirty, right before that car exploded in our parking lot. They finally got that thing out of here, by the way, thankfully. All of the smoke from that car kept finding a way through our doors and ruined all the food."

Jack thanked him and hung up. He went upstairs to check on Jeff. Jack had convinced him that it was a good idea to take a nap.

He found Jeff lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Jeff didn't seem to notice Jack come in. "Hey," Jack said, "do you want to go to the bakery to see if we can get some info on the car bombing?"

"Sure," Jeff said. "Why not?"

Jack called Jon Ulmund and explained what happened and their current plan of action. Jon said, "I would be happy to give you a ride to the bakery, give me about fifteen minutes to call everyone and tell them the party will have to be rescheduled. Then come on over."

While they waited, Jack talked with Jeff. "How do you feel?" Jack said.

Jeff looked at him with a pained expression, "Like I got all the wind knocked out of me and it won't come back." He paused, then said, "At least I still have you."

Jack and Jeff both liked each other. They were a good pair, like matched socks or two aces of spades. They continued to talk until it was time to go.

They walked out of the door and went to the next house up the street. They knocked. Mr. Ulmund opened the door and came outside. The trio got into Mr. Ulmund's suburban, backed out of the driveway and took off toward the bakery.

Mr. Ulmund said, "Are you two alright?" Jack and Jeff nodded and said they were fine, but that they wanted to find out who was behind this.

When they got to the bakery, they saw it was crowded with the local police and fire department. Jack asked a passing policeman if they had discovered anything new.

"And you are…?"

"The person in that car was my mother."

"Oh, I'm sorry kid. No, we haven't discovered anything new, but what's left of the body is over there if you care to take a look." The officer excused himself and moved away.

Jack went to where the officer had indicated and found a sheet covered body. He slowly lifted the sheet and studied the body remains underneath. After studying it for a few minutes, his eyes widened in shock… this was not Mrs. Burney!

Jack remembered that Mrs. Burney had a small, barely noticeable scar, just under her left eye. This body, whoever it was, didn't.

Jack replaced the sheet and found Jeff and Mr. Ulmund, who were talking to that same police officer Jack had talked to. Jack relayed the information and Jeff and Mr. Ulmund both gawked. The police officer, whose nameplate said Harleton, gained a look of contemplation, then said, "Well, if that wasn't your mom, who was it?"

Officer Harleton's radio squawked and he excused himself. He returned a few minutes later and said, "I just learned that the explosion didn't originate from the car. It was something inside the car. Son, why was your mom here?"

"She was picking up a cake for Mr. Ulmund here," Jack said, gesturing toward Mr. Ulmund. "Officer Harleton, we just cleaned out that car. There was nothing in there… except the cake…"

"So you're saying the cake exploded?" Harleton said. Jack nodded, and Harleton continued, "Who all knew that your mother was going to pick up the cake?" He asked Jack.

"Just me, Jack and Jeff," Mr. Ulmund put in.

Officer Harleton narrowed his eyes at Mr. Ulmund, "Then I'd say you'd better watch out, 'cause someone is after you for some reason." Going back to a nonchalant look, he said, "That body is probably an employee that took the cake out to the car for her."

"We need you over here sir," Harleton's radio squawked.

They said goodbye to Officer Harleton and headed toward Mr. Ulmund's car.

While they walked, Jack thought, _Not a car bomb, a cake bomb? What's the world coming to?... I got nothin'…_


	3. Chapter 3 Truth and Introductions

**Chapter 3**

**Truth and Introductions**

Jack and Jeff rested their eyes until they got home. They bid Mr. Ulmund farewell when he dropped them off, and headed inside. They decided to turn in early, so they went upstairs, Jack first, and started to brush their teeth.

Jack had his toothbrush in his mouth. Just as Jeff reached past him to get his own toothbrush, a bright white light enveloped them. For a split second, they felt weightless, then just as suddenly as it had come, the strange white light vanished and they found themselves standing in some sort of gray chamber.

Jeff just about jumped out of his skin, not knowing what just happened. Jack muttered through toothpaste foam, "So much for keeping this a secret"

Jeff heard him and stared, open mouthed. "W-w-what just h-happened?!"

Jack explained about the Stargate and the Asgard, the Goa'uld and the Replicators, the Jaffa and the Tok'ra, and all the other things he had been through and people he had become acquainted with. "That," Jack said, finally answering Jeff's initial inquiry, "was an Asgard teleportation beam."

Jeff gawked. That's all, just gawked.

"I wanted to tell you," Jack said, "but there's this whole government secrecy thing and I had to sign a confidentiality agreement, heck, even I'm a clone!" Jack looked sternly at Jeff, "You can't tell anyone about this, ok?"

Jeff nodded, "Who would believe me anyway? I mean, glowing eyed space snakes, mechanical spiders…" Jeff trailed off, then his eyes became as wide as the Prometheus, "and underdressed little gray, stick-figure like… people?"

Jack smiled at his detailed description of Thor and the rest of the Asgard. Jack turned around and saw his buddy Thor. He wasn't sure how he always told Thor apart from the rest of the Asgard, but he somehow did.

"Greetings, O'Neill," Thor said in his tinny voice.

"Hey buddy, what brings you to the neighborhood?" Jack replied.

"We have a matter of great importance for which you are uniquely suited," Thor said, indicating Jack's condition.

"Ah," Jack said, "Thor, meet Jeff. Jeff, Thor." Jeff gave a weak wave and Jack continued, "Jeff is my new brother," Jack explained, and then proceeded to tell Thor the rest of his situation.

"It is a great honor to meet any relative of O'Neill," Thor said with as much enthusiasm as possible, which wasn't much.

Jeff gave an inquisitive look and Jack explained about all the times he and the rest of SG-1 had helped Thor. "They even named a ship after me," Jack beamed, giving one of his famous, "I'm so proud of myself!" looks.

"Where is the ship now?" Jeff asked.

"It… blew up…" Jack frowned. Changing the subject, he asked, "So what is this important mission?"

Thor blinked his big, bulbous black eyes before he answered, "There is a discrepancy on the very edge of your galaxy," he said. "On a large planet called Luthial."

"What kind of discrepancy?" Jack asked.

"One that has to do with the origin of the Goa'uld," Thor replied.

"The Goa'uld are those glowing eyed snakes, right?" Jeff wondered aloud.

"That is correct," Thor stated. "You may have noticed that the Goa'uld often have names relative to your mythical history." Jack nodded. Jeff had a confused look on his face. "Then you may recognize the name of a certain Goa'uld by the name of Medusa."

"Another system lord?" Jack asked.

"Not exactly," Thor said with a troubled strain in his voice, "Medusa is the mother of all Goa'uld, even the queens, and she is approaching a reproduction cycle. She only has these every ten thousand years or so, but when she does have them, she produces a great number of new Goa'uld parasites. We cannot let this happen."

"Great," Jack said, "when do we leave? And why am I 'uniquely suited' for this?"

"The answer to your first question is one earth week. I approached you early so that you could have time to prepare," Thor said.

"How considerate," Jack said, "And unusual. And behind door number two is…"

"We have been observing Medusa and it appears she has the ability to transform humans into stone just by looking at them. Since you, however, are a clone and not entirely human, I do not believe her stone gaze will work on you."

"And what's keeping the Asgard from killing her? Will her stone gaze work on you? You could just beam her into space or use one of your big, honkin' space guns," Jack retorted.

"She appears to be immune to our beaming technology," Thor said, "and none of our weapons are currently available. As for the stone gaze, I do not know, but we cannot fight physically. Our bodies are too fragile. However, even though you are younger than the original O'Neill, you are still physically fit."

Jeff was just trying to process this whole conversation. In addition to all Jack had just told him, now Jack and this strange little alien were talking like old buddies, which he guessed they were. But most of all, he couldn't believe that Jack, his 15 year old brother, wasn't even 15! Though, Jeff really couldn't be mad at Jack just because he kept all of this a secret. In fact, Jeff doubted that he would have believed Jack, had he told him.

Jeff decided to participate in these very odd goings on. "Excuse me, Mr. Thor, sir, but would I be coming along on this trip?"

Thor turned to Jeff, "There is no need for formalities among O'Neill's kin. You may call me Thor. As for whether you join this excursion or not, I will leave that up to O'Neill."

Jeff turned to Jack with an expectant look, secretly hoping Jack would say yes.

"Let me think about it," Jack said.

"I wish you well in finding out the truth of your mother's disappearance," Thor said, jumping the conversation back to Jack and Jeff's situation, which Jack had explained earlier. "Take this," Thor handed Jack an Asgard long range communicator, "If you need any assistance, use that to call me and I will do what I can."

"One more question," Jack said, "Why did you bring both of us up here?"

Thor almost chuckled, "You were so close to each other that our scanner only read one life sign."

"Well," Jack said, "a week it is th"-

Suddenly, a bright white flash surrounded them again and they found themselves back in front of their bathroom sink, as if nothing had happened. Jeff stared at Jack in disbelief. They finished brushing their teeth then went to bed.

"Well, good night… Colonel," Jeff said.

"Good night Jeff," Jack said, "Sleep well, we've got a big day tomorrow."

**A/N Please don't forget to review, I need feedback! Let me know what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4 A Lead

**Chapter 4**

**A Lead**

_What was that sound? _Jack thought. _Was that Jeff? And where am I? This looks like a Goa'uld mother ship! How did I get here? There was that sound again. _Jack looked to his left, then his right.

_Whoa! _Jack saw a platoon of Jaffa coming directly toward him. He was sure they could see him, but the expressions on their faces said they couldn't. Strange.

Jack looked for cover, somewhere to hide, but there was nowhere! Not a single passageway or corridor. The Jaffa were closer. He looked up. _Maybe there's somewhere to hide up in the ceiling. Nope._ _Too many movies I guess..._

The Jaffa were right in front of him! He closed his eyes. One second. Two. Five. He opened them. _This can't be! _He thought. The soldiers were passing _through _him, not paying him any attention.

After a minute or two, the Jaffa were gone. He wandered down the hall in the direction the Jaffa had come from.

_Was that Maria? _She disappeared behind the corner. Jack ran after her. When he turned the corner, he saw her turn into another passageway. He broke into a sprint. _Where is she going?_

Jack struggled to keep up, but she was going so fast! He managed to follow for a little while, but he finally lost her.

He had two options. Either continue down the current passageway, or turn right into the next corridor. He opted for the corridor.

He peeked around the corner and entered a room with a lot of canopic jars and both side walls were lit with white light. He walked forward, toward the only other exit from the room.

When he got to the middle of the room, all the jars exploded and out of each one, came a dozen Goa'uld symbiotes! They all washed toward him. He screamed.

He sat up in bed, sweating and panting. Jeff was sitting up in the bed to Jack's right, examining the smooth stone Thor had given them. Jeff looked at Jack, startled by his scream, and asked, "You alright?"

Jack tried to orient himself to his new surroundings, swallowed hard past the lump in his throat, and nodded. "Nightmare," He said. "What time is it?"

Jeff motioned to the sunlight pouring through the window and said, "Just past noon. Good thing it's Saturday."

Jack put a hand to his forehead and said, "Well, we should probably get started." Jack, of course, was referring to the whole Mother Mystery Mishap. Or was it a mishap? There were too many questions swimming through Jack's mind right now.

Who was behind this? Was Jon the target, or was Maria? Was the NID somehow involved? They always seemed to be. Or maybe there was a Goa'uld on Earth somewhere. But the only people that knew about him were his friends at the SGC and a few choice others. Maybe it was just a random act of aggression… Who knew?

Jack wanted to scream. There were too many unanswered questions, too many possibilities, and too many uncertainties!

Jack and Jeff went downstairs, got some breakfast- err- lunch, and started going over their options.

"So how do we find the information we need?" Jeff said.

_Another question, _Jack thought. "Well, let's go over what we know. We know that mom's car is no longer in existence." He referred to Maria as "mom" for Jeff's benefit. She was, after all, Jack's mother now too.

"And we know that mom didn't get killed in the explosion," Jeff said, excitedly. "What we don't know is where she is now."

"Hmm…," Jack stared off into space. "If you went to pick up a cake at the bakery, then they offered to have one of the employees take it out to the car for you, why wouldn't you go with said employee to the car? Clearly she didn't, or there'd be more than one body…"

"Maybe she was talking with somebody!" Jeff said. "We should go back to the bakery and see if she was talking with anybody at the time of the explosion!"

It was a plan. A plan they didn't have a few minutes earlier.

"But how do we get there this time?" Jeff asked. "Mr. Ulmund told me yesterday that he had errands to run today and that he'd be back this evening."

"That one's easy," Jack said. He pulled a large wad of cash out of his pocket and showed it to Jeff.

Jeff's eyes were resembling the Prometheus again. "Where'd you get all that?!"

Jack shrugged, "The government set me up."

"I have a feeling that no matter how well I think I know you," Jeff grinned, "you'll always have some kind of surprise up your sleeve."

Jack grinned right back, a twin grin, and said, "Actually, it was in my pocket."

They both laughed.

They thanked the cab driver, paid him, and stepped out of the taxi. They watched the yellow car speed off.

They stepped inside the bakery and surveyed the people hard at work placing food on shelves and in refrigerators. They didn't seem to notice the makeshift twins. Jack wondered how they managed to replace the food so fast. It was almost as if they were expecting having to replace it… maybe not…

Jack and Jeff grabbed a nearby worker and asked for the manager, Don. The worker brought Don and went back to work.

"How can I help you boys today?" Don said.

"Can you tell us who was working here between two and four?" Jack asked.

"Now let me think… Oh yes! There were three people manning the front counter and five in the back, plus me."

"Who was at the counter?"

"Their names are Ronald Gold, Tyler Plows, and Sonia Burg," The manager looked down, "From what we've been told though, Sonia is the one that got killed in the blast…"

"I'm sorry," Jeff said.

"Are Ronald and Tyler here now?" Jack continued.

"Yes actually, they are. We had to bring in everybody to help restock."

"Could we steal them for a few minutes? We'd like to ask them a few questions concerning our mother's… disappearance."

"I think that could be arranged. We have a nice, quiet room in the back where you four can talk. Try to make it quick though, we really need everybody."

The kindly owner led them through a series of doors to the room he had described, and asked them to wait a moment while he got Ronald and Tyler.

While they waited, they observed the room they were in. It was a small storage room, used for storing non-perishables. It was empty now and you could see the bare concrete walls, floor, and ceiling. The room was lit with a single bare bulb that had a pull chain. It was currently on.

"This would make a great interrogation room," Jack said, very matter-of-factly.

Ronald and Tyler entered the small storage space and introduced themselves. "Call me Ty," Tyler said.

They were in their early twenties. _So young, _Jack thought.

Four folding chairs had been brought into the room and they all sat.

Jack began, "Do you remember a pretty lady with a tiny scar just under her left eye?"

"Oh yeah," Ty said. "I remember her. Light brown hair a little past shoulders that curls up at the ends, right?"

"Yeah," Jeff said, a tinge of hope in his voice. "Did either of you talk to her?"

"All three of us did," Ronald said.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Jack asked.

"Well," Ty said. "She came in and asked for the cake held for a Mr. Jon Ulmund."

Ronald picked up the story. "I told her that I'd need the okay from this Mr. Ulmund. She started digging through her purse-"

"-But came up empty," Ty said. "Then, she pulled out her cell phone and called Mr. Ulmund, who gave the okay for her to take the cake."

"Wait a second," Jack said. "She talked to Mr. Ulmund when she was here? Are you sure?"

"Yes," Ronald said. "It's the only reason we could let her have cake."

"Interesting," Jack said. "Continue."

"So while she paid for it, what's her name?"

"Maria."

"Yeah, so while Maria paid for it, Sonia went to the back to get the cake."

Ronald reached in his pocket, pulled out a little red and blue bouncy ball and started twiddling it between his fingers. He seemed nervous.

"Sonia got back and offered to take the cake Maria's car for her," Ty continued. "As they headed for the car, I noticed that Maria had left her purse on the counter. I called after her and she came back to get it."

"That's when it happened," Ronald said, shaking at the recollection. "The three of us hit floor and waited for the smoke to clear."

"I heard the ring of her phone before the smoke cleared, and when I looked up, she was gone," Ty said.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Jack said.

"Well, when the smoke cleared, I dialed nine-one-one," Ronald said.

"Okay," Jack said. "Thanks for your time. If you remember anything else, please let us know."

"No problem," they said.

Jack and Jeff returned to the front of the store. "Well," Jeff said. "There are still way too many questions for my liking, but at least now we have a few answers."

"Not just answers," Jack replied. "but a lead."

**A/N Don't forget to review! Reviews are very helpful. The more I have, the faster I get chapters up. Happy reading!**


	5. Chapter 5 Reunion

**Chapter 5**

**Reunion**

Jack and Jeff exited the store and Jack asked, "Where could she have disappeared to so quickly?"

"Maybe she was beamed out with one of those teleportation thingies," Jeff said.

"No," Jack said. "Surly they would have told us about any bright lights they saw… And who called her right after the explosion?" Jack ran a hand though his hair in frustration, "Let's scour the area and see what we can find. We'll talk to Mr. Ulmund after that."

Jeff nodded and asked where to start. "Let's search all the nooks and crannies within a one mile radius."

They started off, searching everywhere they could find. They made a big clockwise circle. They were almost finished when Jeff said, "Come on Jack, we're never gonna find anything out here."

It was getting dark.

"We're almost back to the bakery," Jack said. "Let's stick it out."

They turned right into an alley. It didn't look like much, just a dead end with a dumpster against the brick wall at the back. They were about to turn back, but Jack's eyes caught something that normal people wouldn't think much of. On the ground under and beside the dumpster, there were shallow ruts, as if someone moved the dumpster back and forth a lot.

Jack pulled Jeff along to the dumpster. They pushed it, right to left, and were confronted with… a brick wall.

Jeff threw his hands in the air with a look that said, "What the heck!"

Jack was studying the wall. At about the height of a doorknob, there was a brick that didn't match the pattern of the rest. Jack examined it closer, then tried pulling it. Nothing.

He pushed it. _Click._ There was a grinding sound and a section of the wall started to revolve. It stopped halfway, open.

Jeff didn't have that look on his face anymore. Now he had a look that said, "Wow!"

They cautiously crept through the doorway and peered into a dark room. They stepped inside. It appeared to be an 8 foot by 8 foot room with an extremely high ceiling. There was nothing here.

The moment they stepped to the middle of the room, the door slammed shut and darkness enveloped them! Complete and total darkness.

Two seconds later, they heard a high pitched whine, and then a _whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_.

"Oh, crap," Jack said. "Jeff, don't move."

Five gold rings came out of nowhere and surrounded them. There was a bright light and they once again got the sensation of weightlessness.

A split second later, the rings left them in a gold room that looked like the inside of a Goa'uld mother ship.

"I think I'm getting used to that," Jeff said. "But that wasn't like the other one…"

"No," Jack said. "Those were rings. Rings are another type of teleporter. The Goa'uld are usually the ones who use them, though, I've used them to get out of a bunch of binds before. Oh, and then there are times like this, when they get me _into _binds. We should probably vamoose before whoever brought us up here arrives."

After observing their surroundings, Jack got his bearings. They snuck into the hall and through a series of corridors until they got to the armory.

"I take it you've been in one of these, what did you call them, mother ships, before," Jeff whispered, more of a statement than a question.

Jack nodded and picked out some zats. He handed one to Jeff and explained, "These are called, zat-ni-katels. Zats for short. One shot stuns, a second kills, and a third disintegrates."

"Cool," Jeff said, awe in his voice. "Where to now?"

"You will be going nowhere!" said a deep, throaty voice.

Jack looked up and saw a Goa'uld he didn't recognize. "Who are you?" Jack said.

"I am Isis, queen of Osirus. I was long thought dead, but alas, I am alive! And I have plans for you who are the clone of Jack O'Neill!" Then, to her guards, she said, "Take them away!"

Jack and Jeff were led through a maze of corridors after their zats were taken from them. They were led to a cell in the middle of a room. They were pushed inside, then the force shield walls were activated.

Jack recalled the fiasco with those two bumbling scientists when SG-1 was placed in a similar cell.

The guards stepped outside the room and closed the door. Jack and Jeff were by themselves once again.

They heard a groan and whirled around. Maria Burney lay on the floor.

"Who's there?" she said, rubbing her eyes. It looked as though she'd been sleeping. Her eyes widened when she saw her gawking sons. She rushed to them and gathered them up in her arms.

"Where have you been?" she said. "What happened to you?"

"We were just about to ask you the same question," Jeff said.

They filled each other in. Jack and Jeff told her of their frantic search, their Q and A with Ronald Gold and Ty Plows, and even of their encounter with Thor.

Then it was her turn.

Picking up from the time of the explosion, she said, "Right after the explosion, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the voice. It was distorted. The voice threatened me, said if I didn't do exactly as I was told, then he'd kill Jeff." She paused, then continued, "The voice told me to leave the bakery and led me around a few corners. I came to this alley and was told to-"

"-Move the dumpster!" Jack and Jeff finished together.

"Right," she said. "Then the voice said, 'Push the brick and walk to the center of the room.'

"That's when those rings came down and transported me into this ship. I wandered around some, but got caught. That's how I ended up here."

"That explains why you didn't come home," Jeff said.

"Jack, what happens now?" Maria asked. Jack had told her about actually being a clone. "I'm still having trouble believing that you're actually older than me."

"You're guess is as good as mine," Jack said. It wasn't true, of course. Jack had more experience than both Jeff and Maria combined. A lot more. But Jack didn't want to scare them.

They talked for a while, then, finally, their captors entered the room.

"It's about time," Jack said. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Isis glared at him and said, "I suppose you are wondering why I've brought you all here." She waited for a response… When it was clear she wasn't going to get one, she continued, "I brought the woman here to bring you here, O'Neill."

Jack pointed to himself and gave her a look that said, "Me?"

"The boy was just a bonus. He is dispensable," she said. "You," she pointed to Jack, "are the reason we are all here. I know you are a clone of the original O'Neill. I also know that you retain all the memories of the original O'Neill." She started pacing. "It is those memories that I desire."

"That's new," Jack said, with the most sarcastic expression he could muster.

"Silence," Isis demanded. "You will only speak to answer my questions!"

Jack refrained from another smart comment.

"Tell me about the Asgard," she said.

"Well," Jack said. "They're short, gray, a little underdre"-

Isis backhanded him. "Next time, think before you open your mouth." She paced for a moment, then continued, "Now tell me about the Asgard!"

Jack rubbed his jaw, "You hit hard." Another backhand. "Ow! See what I mean?"

Isis pulled out a zat from somewhere in the vast expanse of her robe. "Every time you do not answer truthfully, I will shoot one of you with this. Now tell me about the Asgard!"

Jack couldn't help himself, "That wasn't a question."

Isis brought the zat up and pointed it at Jack. In one smooth motion, Jack shot forward and grabbed the zat just as it fired. The blast hit Jeff and he crumpled to the floor.

Jack had the zat now. He tried to shoot Isis, but got one of the guards instead. The other guard readied his staff weapon and Jack nailed him too. He turned back around to shoot Isis, but she was gone.

"You Okay?" Jack asked Jeff as he rushed to help him up.

"I think so," Jeff said. He was shaking slightly. "So if I ever get hit by one of those zat shin knocker things again, it'll kill me?"

"No," Jack said. "It'll wear off. Oh, and just call them zats." Jack smiled.

"How did you do that?" Maria asked, referring to Jack's swivel and shoot routine.

"I've had lots and _lots_ of practice," Jack said. "Now, let's get out of here before she comes back."

They found their way back to the ring room and Jack entered in combination to activate the rings.

Just as he pressed the last button, he felt a familiar lurch. Jack's heart sank. They just entered hyperspace.


	6. Chapter 6 Revelations

**Chapter 6**

**Revelations**

"What was that?!" Jeff said.

"The ship just jumped into hyperspace," Jack said.

"Hyperspace, like, going faster than the speed of light, hyperspace?"

Jack nodded. "A lot faster."

"What do we do now?" Maria asked.

"Under normal circumstances, I might suggest we attempt to take over the control room and turn this ship around," Jack looked them in the face. "But these are not normal circumstances."

"Come on, Jack, there's nothing else we can do," Maria said.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her apparent eagerness. "Are you sure?" He looked at Maria. "Another option is to just try to hide until we get to wherever we're going."

"Jack," Maria replied. "To be honest, the former option seems more realistic."

Jack thought Maria was acting a little strange. "How so?"

"Think about it," she said. "How are we going to stay hidden for who knows how long until we get to who knows where? It just seems simpler to take over the control room."

Jack's mind went back to an old musical he used to like. _Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?_

Just then, a Jaffa walked in unannounced. Jack took out the zat that he had taken from Isis, but before he could shoot, Maria came out of nowhere and let loose with a spinning high kick to the Jaffa's upper jaw. The man crumpled to the floor and passed out.

_I guess you don't, _Jack finished his thought.

"How did you do that?!" Jeff exclaimed.

Maria showed a sheepish little grin and said, "There are some things I haven't told either of you."

"Clearly," Jack said.

"Jack," she said. "I already knew about the Stargate program and I've taken basic combat training-"

"Basic?" Jack and Jeff said together.

"-Okay, advanced."

"Wait a second," Jack said. "What about when you said that you couldn't believe I was older than you?"

"I know about the Stargate program, but that doesn't mean that it's not hard to believe. The same is true of your," she paused for a moment, "condition. Did your friends take you seriously the very first time they found out that you were for real?"

Jack thought for a moment, "No, come to think about it."

"And did you really think that they would set you up with someone who didn't know? Of course not."

"I had wondered, now that you mention it," Jack said.

"So what do you say?" she said. "You think we can take the control room?"

"What about me?" Jeff said. "I don't know any of that combat training stuff, but I'm first in my karate class."

"Do you think you're up for it Jeff?" Jack asked.

"I don't think I have much choice."

"Alright," Jack said. "Jeff, you take the zat." Jack walked over to the unconscious Jaffa and took his staff weapon. "And I'll take this."

"What is that?" Jeff asked.

"This is a staff weapon," Jack said. "It's kind of like a big zat, except one shot kills."

The three formed their plan and set off toward the control room, single file, Jack in front, Jeff in the middle, and Maria in the back.

They wound their way through a series of corridors that, over the course of the past seven years, had become familiar to Jack.

Jack remembered the first time he'd been on one of these ships, trying to stop Apophis from destroying earth.

On the way, they passed a different armory and picked up two more zats, one for Jack and one for Maria. Isis didn't interfere this time. Jack also nabbed a few flash grenades.

They had managed to avoid being seen so far, which was no easy task, considering that there were a lot more Jaffa than there were of them. They now stood just around the corner from the control room.

Jack held up a hand and the trio stopped. Jack quickly peeked around the corner and saw two Jaffa standing outside the door to their destination, as expected.

"You two ready?" Jack whispered.

They both nodded.

Jack handed his staff weapon to Maria. Jack and Jeff stepped out into the hallway and waved at the guards.

The two Jaffa had quizzical looks on their faces at the sight of a couple of children just standing there waving.

Just as the Jaffa finally brought their staff weapons up, Jack and Jeff each pulled out their zats and shot the guards.

This drew the attention of everyone inside the room who came spilling out into the hallway just as Jack and Jeff ducked back behind the corner with Maria.

The group of Jaffa ran down the hallway, thinking that they were following the assailants and passed the hidden trio without even looking in their direction.

Jack, Jeff, and Maria waited a minute till they couldn't hear the troupe of Jaffa anymore, then snuck into the control room.

There were still a few guards here and there, but they were positioned haphazardly because of all the commotion.

Jack nodded toward the staff weapon he had given Maria and said, "Only use this if you have to."

Maria nodded and they continued forward. They each found a pillar to hide behind, and then, in unison, Jack and Jeff leaned out in opposite directions and zatted the remaining Jaffa, leaving none for Maria.

Everything was going smoothly as they rushed to the control panel, but then Isis walked in, along with several Jaffa and a cloaked figure.

The three raised their weapons, as did the Jaffa.

Jack saw that they were outnumbered and lowered his zat. Maria followed his cue, but Jeff looked unsure and remained as he was.

"It's okay Jeff," Maria said. "Put it down."

Jeff looked at her and finally put his zat on the floor.

"Take them back to their cell!" Isis demanded.

"Yes, my queen," said the cloaked figure.

Jack thought he recognized the voice from somewhere, but couldn't place it.

They were led back to their cell and pushed inside. This time, Isis didn't leave. Jack tried to see under the hood of the cloaked figure, but the hood was too far down.

"This," said Isis, motioning toward the cloaked figure, "is my loyal servant. He does whatever I say, without question. I have told him to learn from you, as much as he can, and he will do just that. You'd best answer his questions."

With that, Isis took her leave. She left just two Jaffa and the mystery man.

The mystery man delved into the vast expanses of his robe and pulled out a Fire Stick, then said, "You will tell me about Naquadria."

There it was again! Where had he heard that voice before?

"Why don't you go ask one of your system lord friends?" Jack taunted.

"Don't try me!" hissed the mystery man.

"Let me break it down for you," Jack continued. "I've been in situations like this a hundred times and my friends and I always escape. So don't waste your breath."

"I said don't try me!"

The mystery man brought up the three pronged Fire Stick and put it to Jack's neck.

Pain! Immeasurable pain! The light coming from Jack's eyes blinded him and the light coming from his mouth made it feel like his throat was on fire.

Jack screamed.

Somehow, throughout all the pain, something struck Jack as odd. Very few of the Goa'uld and their minions used contractions (unless they had spent a decent amount of time on earth…) and this, "loyal servant," as Isis called him, kept saying, "_Don't _try me!"

And his voice! Why was it so familiar?

After what seemed like an eternity, the mystery man drew the Fire Stick away from Jack's neck. Jack began gasping for air.

As he was panting, Jack saw Maria give him a signal to shut his eyes.

"Give Isis my regards," Jack told the mystery man.

"Wha-" the mystery man began, but was cut off a blinding light. "Ugh," he collapsed, as did the Jaffa.

"I'm not sure how that would have turned out if you hadn't slipped me that flash grenade," Maria said, looking in Jack's direction.

Jack nodded and kneeled by the mystery man. He wanted to know who this man really was.

Jack slowly pulled back the man's hood. The breathless trio gasped.

Lying there, on the floor of an interrogation room in a Goa'uld mother ship, was none other than… Jon Ulmund!


	7. Chapter 7 Friend or Foe?

**Chapter 7**

**Friend or Foe?**

There were a hundred thoughts and a thousand questions swimming through Jack's mind. One question emerged from all the rest: Why was Mr. Ulmund on a Goa'uld mother ship?

Another series of question hit him like a brick wall. Should we take him with us or leave him? Why was he serving Isis? Speaking of Isis, wasn't she supposed to be dead? We found the symbiote of Isis in canopic jar, didn't we? The jar claimed Isis was inside, but apparently she wasn't. Who _was_ inside that jar?

Jeff and Maria were staring at Mr. Ulmund in wide-eyed horror. Finally, Jack spoke up, "Let's go."

A few minutes later…

"Ugh," Jon sat up. _Where am I? _He thought. _Why can't I see anything?_

Jon looked around, but to his dismay, saw nothing but pitch blackness. _The last thing I remember was… Jack, Jeff and…, _he sighed, _Maria. And then that blinding light! But, my mind is so much clearer now._

He started to regain his sight, but now everything was very blurry.

He remembered that one day, he was approached by a mysterious man who had some sort of device that looked like a gun, but not any type of gun he'd ever seen before.

The man shot a ray of electricity out of the gun and then everything went black.

He remembered waking up in a strange looking room. Then some sort of gas started to enter the room. He tried to get out, but the one door was locked, and after that, he remembered not having any choice about anything. He knew only that he had to obey Isis.

But now, he no longer felt that need, though he still remembered everything. And he knew that if he didn't find the three, twice former prisoners in time, they would walk right into another trap!

As soon as he could see clearly, he went off in search of them.

The tired trio was desperate for answers. After leaving the interrogation room, they ran through a long series of corridors in search of safety. They breathlessly stopped in an out of the way room and shut the door behind them.

Jeff, like Jack, had tons of questions. Jeff was very smart. Ask him what the square root of pi is and it's at the tip of his tongue. Ask him what a certain constellation looks like and where on earth you have to be to see it and he'll tell you without thinking hard. But he had no clue what to think of this whole mess!

Just two days ago, before any of this happened, he'd been, for all intents and purposes, a normal kid. But Jeff's was the kind of mind that embraced the unknown. He saw it as a chance to learn something new.

That's why, instead of cowering in a corner somewhere, he had questions. Lots and lots of questions.

Before he could ask any, however, he heard someone running outside their door. From the looks on his mother's and his brother's faces, they'd heard it too.

"That doesn't sound like an enemy," Jeff whispered.

"What's your reasoning?" Jack asked.

Jeff thought it was cool that Jack didn't just dismiss him because he was a kid, "Can't you hear it? He's out of breath. These Jaffa people don't seem like the type to get out of breath by running for a while."

"They're not," Jack replied. "Good observation."

When Jon left the room, he set out in the direction he thought they had gone. It was practically impossible to track someone through these corridors, but he was resolved to do his best.

He didn't know how far he was behind them, but he tried nonetheless. After a while, he became sure he wasn't making any progress.

He heard distant footsteps. They sounded like they were running. There was more than one set of footsteps, but not a lot. Could it be?

He set off in the direction of the footsteps. Running. He rounded the first corner, but didn't see them. He kept running. He rounded a second corner. He caught a glimpse of them. It was them!

He rounded a third corner, hot on their heels, expecting to be very close and was met with… nothing. They had vanished! He kept running, passing several rarely used rooms.

A noise! He stopped and turned around. A door had opened. He was out of breath now so, instead of running, he cautiously crept up to the open door and peered inside.

They had their zats drawn, and were standing at the ready for whoever would come through the door.

Maria saw him first. She almost dropped her zat when she saw his head peek around the corner. She had mixed emotions. She wanted to hug him and shoot him all at once. How could he have betrayed them?

Maria kept her zat fixed on him and motioned him into the room. He stepped in and they shut the door behind him.

"Are you alone?" Jack asked.

Jon nodded.

"Any fancy moves and I will shoot you, understand?"

Again, Jon nodded, then said, "I can explain."

Maria thought he sounded desperate.

"We're listening."

Jon told them about his encounter with the man with the strange gun. He pointed at the zat, "That's the same kind of gun." Next, he told them about the room with the gas, "It was everywhere and there was no way out." Finally, he told them about having to obey Isis no matter what, "And then you used that flash grenade and when I woke up, I didn't feel the need to serve her anymore."

Jack recalled his encounter with Seth and how he used some sort of gas to brainwash all those people into serving him. Jack thought for a moment. "As far as I'm aware, those flash grenades don't give any type of electric shock."

Jon wasn't following, "So?"

"I encountered a similar gas about five years ago and we discovered that it took an electric shock to knock someone out of being brainwashed."

"What can I do to make you believe me?" Jon asked.

"Let me shoot you," Jack replied with not even the slightest hint of emotion in his voice.

Jon remembered being shot with one of these things Isis calls zat-ni-katels, and he did not want to get shot again.

Reluctantly, Jon nodded.

Jack hesitated a moment, then pulled the trigger.

Jon felt like he'd just been struck by lightning! Pain racked his body. He saw a look of relief on Maria's face as he toppled to the floor, and then black.


	8. Chapter 8 Spy Games

**Chapter 8**

**Spy Games**

Jon felt himself slipping from a dream and awoke to find that they were all still in the same room. The other three were talking quietly waiting for him to wake.

"How long was I out?" Jon said, feeling a little groggy.

Jack answered, "Only a few minutes."

"It's good to have you back," Maria said.

Jon remembered why he'd been in such a rush to find them, "I have to warn you," he said. "They have traps set up all over the place. If we leave this room, they'll probably find us pretty quickly."

"Sweet," Jack said.

Jack tried to sound confident, but he was really wondering if they would make it out of this one.

Several problems presented themselves. First, they were trapped on a Goa'uld mother ship with no apparent way of escape. Second, they had already been captured not once, but twice. Third, if they didn't escape fast enough, he would miss Thor's deadline.

Several good things had happened as well, though. First, they had found Maria, even though it led to them getting captured. Second, they had managed to escape twice, as well as find that Jon was on their side. Third, they still had approximately six more days to get back to earth since only a day had passed. It was now Saturday night on earth.

All the running around was wearing on them. They were all pretty tired.

"Well," Jack decided, "we can't really do much more right now, so I suggest we try to sleep." The others nodded. "But one person will have to stay up to keep watch. We can switch every two hours. I'll take the first shift," Jack concluded.

While Jack watched the other three sleep, a plan began to form in his mind…

No one disturbed them throughout the night. They all slept pretty well.

When they were all up, Jack shared his plan with them. They all agreed, but before they set off, Jack took the time to briefly explain what the Goa'uld were and various other things he thought Jon should know. Then they set out to find a safe armory.

It just so happened that the room beside theirs was an armory. Rarely used, but well stocked. They each took a zat and a couple of flash grenades.

Jack was getting tired of the whole, "visit the armory and then get captured" routine, so this time, he planned not to get captured.

Jack didn't like repeating things, probably because of that incident on P4X-639 when he and Teal'c were made to live the same day over and over again for three months. That was three years ago.

They crept through the hallways and around the corners and eventually made their way back to the control room, which, Jack knew, was also the throne room.

Once again, there were two guards stationed outside the door. They found a nearby storage room and set their plan in motion.

Jon knew it was his turn. He calmly walked back to the control room. He didn't stop before he was seen, but continued to walk right through the door! He was hoping Isis would buy his excuse for being gone the whole night.

He walked up to Isis and kneeled. "My queen," he said.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

"The prisoners," he said. "They escaped and kidnapped me in the process." He bowed his head in shame.

"Then how are you here now if they kidnapped you?"

"My queen," he raised his head. "I turned the tables on them. I not only escaped, but managed to secure them in a room as well."

Isis thought for a moment, "Very well, take me to them!"

Jon bowed and led the way. Isis snapped her fingers and a couple of Jaffa followed.

Jack, Jeff and Maria stood in the storage room at the ready. They had been there for a few minutes already when the door finally opened.

Jeff and Maria immediately shot the guards while Jack kept his zat trained on Isis. The evil Goa'uld only looked half surprised.

Jon pulled out his zat and stuck it in her back. "Move," he said.

Isis stepped inside with a sneer and the door shut.

Maria stepped forward and removed the hand device that Isis wore. There was some rope and also some rags in the storage room. They bound the two Jaffa's hands and feet and tied the rags tightly around their heads and across their mouths. They didn't even bother to do the same to Isis since Jack knew she could just snap the rope.

"Give it up," Jack said.

"Give what up?" Isis asked.

"The stone you took from us."

Jon had told Jack earlier that Isis had stuffed it in her robe.

"And what is in it for me?" Isis asked, as if she had some sort of leverage.

"Nothing," Jack retorted.

"Then I see no reason to give it to you."

"Fine," Jack shot her with the zat. "Then we'll just take it from you."

Jon searched in her robe for a few minutes, but came up empty. Then he noticed a hidden pocket at her side. He opened it and retrieved the Asgard long range communicator. He handed the stone to Jack.

Jack examined the stone in his hand. So smooth, flawless. He closed his hand around the stone and instantly everything around him vanished. Suddenly, he could see Thor.

"Thor, buddy," Jack started.

"Greetings, O'Neill," Thor replied. "Have you made any progress in locating your mother?"

Jack filled him in on all that had happened.

"Do you know where you are?" Thor asked.

"Other than out in the middle of nowhere? No."

"Give me a moment then," Thor said as he stepped to the console of his magnificent ship. "I will attempt to locate your communicator."

"You can do that?" Jack wondered why that surprised him.

"Yes," Thor answered. "Your communicator has a small tracking device on it, so I should be able to obtain your location."

"Sweet," Jack said. "Oh, one more thing."

Thor turned to Jack.

"Do you have a way to get a snake out of somebody's head?"

"If you mean extract a Goa'uld symbiote from the host, then yes. But it would pose a great risk to the host."

Jack cringed at the word, "extract," then said, "We'll have to take the chance. Isis' host could give us some valuable information."

"Very well," Thor said, and then cut the connection.

Jack saw Thor's ship fade and the storage room reappear. The two Jaffa were stirring, struggling against their bindings. They tried to call for help, but all they managed to get out was, "mmph." They struggled even more when they saw their queen lying there unconscious.

The four suddenly felt a big jolt. The ship had just exited hyperspace.


	9. Chapter 9 Escape

**Chapter 9**

**Escape**

The four had been discussing their plan for a while before Isis woke.

Jack noticed that she was awake and said, "Don't move. Remember that a second shot kills."

Isis didn't move.

An hour passed. Two hours and still Thor hadn't arrived.

"How much longer should it take Thor?" Jeff asked.

"I don't know," Jack replied. "But he has a tendency to show up just in time."

The ship slowed down exponentially. They must've just entered orbit around a planet.

Jack heard voices outside their door.

"Where is queen Isis?" said a very deep voice.

"We are still searching," another voice answered. This one sounded as high as the other was low.

Jack glared at Isis and put a finger to his lips.

"We will find queen Isis before we land," said Deep Voice.

The other one gave a grunt of agreement.

"Start in this corridor and search every room," Deep Voice ordered.

Jack heard the voices fade down the hall, presumably to start the search at one end and work their way to the other.

"We don't have much time," Jack said. "And there's no way we can exit this room without being seen. It sounded like there were only two of them, so when they open the door, we'll do the same thing to them that we did to these two," he motioned toward the Jaffa sitting there, still bound and gagged.

Jon, Jeff and Maria nodded in agreement and got behind some crates. Jack told Isis to follow suit and she moved behind the crates with the others. Jack then found a large covering and placed it over the bound Jaffa.

"Don't move and don't make a sound!" Jack whispered to them and held up his zat, threateningly. He dropped the cover on top of them and joined the others behind the crates.

Jack heard clanking armor. A lot of clanking armor. Suddenly, it stopped. Right in front of their door.

For a moment, the room grew completely silent. Jon shoved his zat in Isis' back as a reminder to keep quiet.

Jack knew they were way outnumbered, so he motioned for the others to sit tight.

The door opened and several Jaffa walked in. Jack's heart was racing. _Not again! _He thought. _We are _not _going to get captured again!_ Jack heard movement and knew that the two bound Jaffa were trying to get free.

The Jaffa that had just walked in heard it too and walked over to the corner where the covering was. They removed the covering and quickly freed the subdued guards.

"They are behind the crates!" said one of the freed Jaffa.

"Stand up!" said the same deep voiced Jaffa from before.

Jack, Jeff and Maria gingerly got to their feet and were greeted with a dozen staff weapons aimed in their direction. Then Jon stood up, making it clear that he would shoot Isis if prompted.

Isis spoke, "The effects first shot have worn off. Take them!"

Jon prepared to fire, but the Jaffa were faster.

Everything seemed to slow down. Jack saw a Jaffa fire and jumped in front of the shot, which was aimed for Jon. Jack flew through the air in an attempt to save Jon's life. The energy blast from the staff weapon also flew through the air in an attempt to take his life.

It was a race. Jack versus the energy blast. Jack was closer to Jon, but the blast was faster. Jack made it! He was in front of Jon, but that didn't stop the blast. The blast was a foot away. Six inches. Three. Two.

What happened next was extraordinary. The blast came close enough to burn a small hole in Jack's shirt. Jack closed his eyes. Then there was a blinding white light!

A second passed, and Jack didn't get hit. He continued to fall through the air and finally landed with a thud on a very hard floor, but not the floor of the storage room. This was Thor's ship!

Thor had beamed up the quintet: Jack, Jon, Jeff, Maria and Isis too since she was touching Jon. Jack had told them what to expect when Thor beamed them up, but Jon and Maria still gasped in surprise.

"Why have you transported me to this ship?" Isis wanted to know. She started to walk forward, but thought better of it given that there were four zats trained on her.

"Bring her and follow me," Thor said. He led them down several corridors and into a small room with a table. "This table," Thor explained, "was built out of a certain type of titanium alloy and is very strong."

Thor turned to Isis, "Lie down."

Isis didn't have much choice so, after eyeing the perfectly smooth table suspiciously, she laid down on her back.

Just as her head touched the smooth surface, small parts of the table opened and produced cuffs that were too quick for Isis to escape. One secured each wrist, one for each leg secured at the ankle, and one fastened itself around her neck in such a way that she couldn't move her head at all.

"Very good," Thor said. "I will now attempt the extraction."

Jack and the others watched intently. Thor went over to a console positioned along the back wall and started activating devices.

"How are you gonna do this?" Jack asked.

Without turning from the console, Thor said, "We have been laboring over this project for some time. This is a refined version of our beam technology. It can transport with extreme preciseness."

"Okay…" Jack hesitated, waiting for some sort of follow-up to his explanation.

"I think I understand," Jeff said. Everyone looked at him. "Jack, you said that these Goa'uld symbiote things go into your head, right?" Jack nodded. "Thor, you're going to beam the symbiote out of her head, aren't you?"

"That is correct," Thor said, "though this method has never been tested on a live subject, which is why I am not positive that it will succeed."

Jack decided then that Jeff reminded him of Carter.

Everyone watched with anticipation. Would this work? Jack wondered what the girl's name was.

Thor pressed more buttons and slid some stones around in an attempt to rid this girl of the evil Isis.

The girl's head glowed softly and then stopped. "It is done," Thor informed them.

Everyone crowded around the girl's body, she looked dead. "Where did you beam Isis?" Maria asked.

"Into space," Thor blinked. "Now we must wait to see if we succeeded."

They waited two hours, then three without any sign of a change. Jack was the only one in the room at the moment.

_You're so beautiful, _he thought. It was true, Isis' host was exceedingly beautiful. Right now, he longed to appear his true age. That way, moments like this wouldn't be so awkward. He leaned in close.

Suddenly, the girl inhaled deeply and her eyes fluttered opened.


	10. Chapter 10 Behind the Vale

**Chapter 10**

**Behind the Vale**

For so long, she had just wanted to die, for someone to somehow kill her. She never imagined that she would actually be freed from this… this living death.

One moment, she had no control over her body, a slave to her own limbs. The next, she felt excruciating pain that led to black.

While she was unconscious, she dreamed. She dreamed of all the atrocities that Isis had done. That she had done… She remembered the day when she was called into her lord's court, Seth was his name, and asked to follow some maidservants.

She had followed, and they led her to a beautiful courtyard, which had a small pond with deep green lily pads and a stone table that was more like a bed prepped with the fluffiest cottons and pillows.

The maidservants pampered her and made her beautiful, more beautiful than she ever would have imagined. They washed her and brushed her dark hair, which flowed freely along her curved neck and past her smooth shoulders into the small of her back.

They put flowers in her hair and adorned her ears and arms and fingers with jewels. They clothed her with a gorgeous purple dress.

The dress slipped over her face and torso, fell past her slender legs and stopped just before her petite feet.

She thought this was heaven.

She wondered why she had been chosen. There were plenty of other women just as beautiful, weren't there? What made her so special? At the moment, she didn't care.

She was then led to the table laden with pillows. Or was it a bed? She wasn't sure, but she was enjoying herself too much to care.

The pillows were scented with a sweet fruit that made her mouth water. She longed for the mysterious fruit's nectar. She was instructed to lie down.

She sat on the bed, or table, and swung her feet up. She laid her head back on the soft pillows and inhaled deeply, the fragrance of the fruit's delicious nectar overwhelming her senses.

She heard a sound and she looked toward the doorway from whence it came. There were two menservants carrying a stretcher with a beautiful woman on it. The woman looked like she was dying.

The men stopped beside the bed so that the woman was lying right next to her, at the same height off the ground.

The woman turned her head and looked into her eyes. This woman that was lying next to her was so beautiful, but even so, her eyes looked menacing… evil.

Before she could react, something shot out of the woman's mouth and into her mouth. For the split second the unknown object was transferring hosts, she saw the woman's eyes go from menace to horror.

The object brushed past her tongue and felt slimy, like a snake. It slid down her throat, and settled wrapped around her spine.

She tried to get up, but her arms and legs weren't responding. Nothing was.

And so it began, a prisoner in her own body.

She felt herself falling from the dream. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes, but the light hurt them, so she closed them again, quickly. For a moment, she thought it _was_ all a dream, and that she was waking up in her own bed and would be expected to make breakfast for mama and papa.

She blinked and tried to sit up, but felt herself being pinned down. She couldn't move her arms or her legs, but this didn't come as a surprise.

What did come as a surprise was the realization that she had just blinked her own eyes! The snake she had swallowed, who had turned out to be Isis, was no longer here!

Then why could she still not move her limbs? She saw an angel. No, it was a young man standing over her. Who was he? Did he save her? Wait, she recognized this boy. She recalled the events of the evening.

The boy had been leaning in close when she had opened her eyes. What was he doing? The boy turned to leave. She struggled for something to say. If only she could remember this boy's name. Was it Joreth? Jace? No, it was… "Jack!" She called desperately. Isis was gone, but her memory lingered.

Jack stopped and turned around.

"You know my name, but I missed yours," he said. He had a kind look in his eyes.

Her name? It had been so long since she had been referred to by her own name, she could not remember it. "I do not know." She had an accent that seemed like a cross between British and French.

"Okay, what would you like to be called?"

She thought of the intoxicating nectar and imagined what the fruit would be called. "Vale," she decided. The name had no resemblance to the fruit, but it sounded familiar, in fact, that was her name! Yes, she remembered now.

Jack walked over to her and unclamped the cuffs.

Vale sat up, "Thank you."

Jack nodded, "You don't have to worry about Isis anymore."

Vale couldn't imagine having her life back. The thought was overwhelming. "What do I owe my rescuer?"

"Some information would be nice," Jack replied. "When you're ready."

There was a glint in Jack's eyes that came across as noble. She could trust this boy. She could tell that he was mischievous, cunning, and not all he appeared to be, all from the glint in his eyes.

How many others had this boy saved from the same torment? How many other creatures, such as Isis, had he vanquished? This boy reminded her so much of her good friend Joshua.

Joshua had been a good friend when she needed one. She guessed Jack and Joshua were about the same age. Joshua, perhaps, a little older. If only their friendship could have lasted longer. But not long after they met, he vanished. Where had he gone?

Joshua had told her that she would find a new family when hers was stolen from her, but how would he know? Her family had certainly been taken from her. Or maybe she was taken from them?

Vale looked at Jack's princely eyes, "What do you want to know?"

"Some information would be nice."

Jack wasn't quite sure what to make of this girl, Vale. When he looked in her eyes, he saw innocence, but maybe there was more.

"When you're ready."

Vale had a blank stare on her face. She was thinking.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

Her voice reminded him of the sensation he got whenever he opened his refrigerator to retrieve a beer, a good sensation.

"Did Isis know anything about Medusa?"

She searched her memory, "Yes. Yes she did!"

"What is she, exactly?"

"She is the mother of all Goa'uld, but she is not Goa'uld herself. They are her children and do her bidding, but she is a different creature completely."

"What is she?" Jack asked with immense curiosity.

"She is a cross between a Goa'uld and a human. She has the body of a human, but young symbiotes spawn from her head."

"So that's why all the stories say she has snakes for hair!" Jeff said. The other four walked in, having seen their status from the control room.

Jack introduced everyone, and they continued.

After an hour, Vale seemed much more comfortable talking with them.

"You would be a valuable asset, if you came with us," Jack said to her, considering her knowledge.

"Us?" Jeff asked, hope in his voice.

"Yes," Jack replied. "Us."

Jack looked at Vale, "So what do you say?"


End file.
